Tag: htc

HTC Desire 300 review
Welcome to the 2014 HTC Desire 300 review. The Desire 300 currently one of the cheapest HTC phones you can buy so we're interested in how it performs. As a Pre-paid package it retails at the starting price of around $178 which is on the high side. Note that both are very similar but the even cheaper Desire 310 only has a faster CPU to best the 300 but lacking else where in the spec sheet and it uses a different case design so don't get confused! In terms of construction the HTC Desire 300 is an all plastic model and clearly an entry level smartphone. It does emulate the top range HTC One design in looks but definitely not feel. The HTC is light in the hand but it is solid to hold but its definitely not premium! In terms of tech or internal hardware the HTC Desire 300 is quite basic with nothing that really stands out to us. It's specification may be high end back in 2008 but not in 2014 which is a reflection on how far mobile phone technology has come since then. The screen resolution is OK despite not being pin sharp, likewise the colours. The phone is only 3G so don't expect fast data downloads. In terms of use the HTC Desire worked reasonably well given its specifications. However it is clearly slower than say the mid-range models. The updated OS means that there are no pauses or lags and uses Apple's trick of slower scrolling to hide the background updating. Apart from that all the usual popular apps will work without any problems. Since it is Android OS based there's little else to complain about. The HTC Desire models used to be among the best in the entry level class but no more and the Desire 300 is not the best choice available. Compared to the latest 'unknown' brands like Huawei Y series and Windows based Lumia series, the Desire 300 just isn't as slick, look as good and now overpriced. Specifications
- HTC Desire 300
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 850/2100 or 900/2100 (depend on country)
- Design Rugged - Touch screen
- L131.78 x W66.23 x D10.12 mm
- Weight 120 grams
- Display/s 4.3 inch 480 X 854 pixels
- Camera 5MP
- Video Camera 480p 30FPS main video camera VGA video phone
- Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V4
- CPU 1 Ghz Dual core Separate Graphic CPU
- Memory 523 MB RAM Up to 4Gig for user Up to 32Gig micro-SD expansion
- Features Ambient light, Proximity, Accelerometer
- Li-Po 1650 mAh battery Up to 625 hours Standby Up to 11 hours Talk Time
- Price history Under $179 AUD August 2014 (Pre-paid)
September 15, 2014
HTC One M8 review
Welcome to the 2014 HTC One M8 otherwise known as version two! The HTC One for 2014 has had another quality bump and this phone looks even more fantastic. The One is one of the best looking and made phones currently available. The HTC One M8 recommended retail is about $850 which makes it very competitive considering it specification but to other top end phones. The only thing that preventing it from heading to the top is mainly marketing and of course the price. Let's face it all the top end smart phones are expensive and this the HTC is no different. In terms of construction the all metal HTC One on first touch is clearly a top of the range model and surpasses the iPhone 5S and even equals our current top rating looker the Lumia Icon/930. The One is lovely to look at and to hold and if we had to fault the construction it would be directed at the brushed 'stainless steel' finish as opposed to a solid color. That said there are other colors to choose from. In terms of hardware the HTC One packs all you'd expect in a top range all metal phone and including a micro-SD card slot! The only thing we could complain about was the screen quality was not as 'wow me' as the Nokia Icon or the Samsung Galaxy S5 which is tested at the same time and easily puts all others including the iPhone 5s screen quality to what we always described as average. The One's speakers are also loud and clear as always and easily louder than any other phone out there. The novel dual camera lens is an interesting solution needs more work. That said the pictures did look OK but clearly to as good as Samsung S5 or iPhone even the old iPhone 4s. It is missing the hardware on the of the Samsung S5 eg. barometer and finger print scanner but naturally these are still nice to have rather than essential or game changing. In terms of use the HTC One works really well. The Zoe home screen is a good solution to being able to see all your social network updates on one screen. We didn't note anything that was particularly special apart from that. It is Android OS based so all the latest Apps can be found in the store. Finally the speed and smoothness was as good as any other top end smart phone we've tested to date. To conclude our short review, since Android OS based phones are pretty similar these days: we haven't really looked at the HTC phones for a little while since they had problems that really needed to be addressed before they could be taken seriously. It's only the camera quality that is the remaining issue we have with the HTC One which does not appear to be up to the standard of it's competitors. So its definitely a great phone to consider when you're due to renew your contract, after all its a little expensive to buy outright. Specifications
- HTC One (M8)
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Quad-band 3G 850/900/2100 Penta-band 4G 800/900/1800/2600
- Design Touch screen
- L146.4 x W70.6 x D9.4 mm
- Weight 160 grams
- Display 5 inch 1,280 x 1080
- Camera Dual 4MP auto-focus Dual LED Flash 5MP 2nd forward facing camera
- Video Camera 1080p high definition 60FPS main video camera 2MP Video phone camera
- Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V4 NFC USB
- CPU Quad core 2.3 Ghz Separate Andreno 330 Graphics CPU
- Memory 2Gig RAM Up to 32 Gig for user Up to 128Gig micro-SD expansion
- Features A-GPS, GLONASS, Compass, Accelerometer, Gyroscope Proximity, Ambient Light, Humidity, Temperature Ring tones: MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others FM Radio with RDS Google Play store Free Google Navigator (requires data plan) MS-Word, Excel and Powerpoint, PDF, ZIP compatible Organiser/Calendar SMS, MMS, IM, Email Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 2600 mAh battery Up to 496 hours Standby Up to 20 hours Talk Time
- Price history Approx $850 AUD late 2014 (Outright)
June 23, 2014
HTC One XL review
Welcome to the 2012 HTC One XL review. It 's been a long time since we've tested an HTC phone due to the lack of any interesting models to write about. However with the release of this model things have changed. In fact we think that the One XL is indeed one of the best Android based smart phones. Unfortunately it still priced quite high being the current top of the range model but at least it works and feels like it! At the time of writing the One XL was selling for $668 outright. Note that the difference between the HTC One X and the One XL is the different CPU but just as quick, 4G and color availability. The One X is available in white and the One XL in grey, we prefer the grey version. The HTC One XL construction and build quality is excellent, light enough and very solid. The curved screen edges and frame give it a comfortable 'built' for long term use. The HTC feels like its made of an exotic material not plastic or metal due to the coating and can only be described as very cool. Sure it might smooth out over time but first impressions do count for lots. We're sure that most will probably buy some sort of case for it regardless.The 4.7 inch screen is big enough and the screen image quality is very good too. It may not be the leading edge AMOLED screen but it is better than the iPhone4S in terms of real life color re-production. The only thing missing is a microSD card memory expansion. The overall size of the phone is not too big or small... In terms of operation the HTC One XL has the latest version of Android and the customised interface called 'HTCsense' which is the best set of modifications we've seen on an Android phone. The menus are 99% smooth with only heavy duty widgets causing micro second delays with updates from the main screen as per any Android OS phone everywhere else there is literally nothing else to really complain about. Like most HTC models it has the Beats sound enhancement and it makes the best music player out of any mobile phone we've heard to date. Sure it doesn't have all the latest software features like the Samsung Galaxy S3 but you probably won't miss them. In all honestly the ability to run widgets on the main menu screens (for any andriod OS phone) with just a flick of the finger is a fantastic feature instead of trying to find the app icon running it than closing etc.. is now strangely annoying. The only problem we found on the One XL was it's relatively low battery life, lasting a mere 1.5 days with minimal usage. In the end we think the HTC One XL is the best value top end Android OS based smart phones to date. It has a very slick and speedy interface with amazing options. It does everything the newly released and still outdated iPhone 5 can do and more, with a much more impressive interface. It almost matches the Samsung Galaxy S3. We think the One XL is a great buy, priced less than the currently leading Samsung Galaxy S3. Specifications
- HTC One X
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Quad-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 Single band 4G LTE
- Design Touch screen L134.36 x W69.9 x D8.9 mm
- Weight 130 grams
- Display/s 4.7 inch 1,280 x 720
- Camera 8MP auto-focus LED Flash 2nd forward facing video call camera 1.3MP (720p)
- Video Camera 1080p high definition 30FPS main video camera
- Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V4 NFC DLNA GSM and 3G networks
- CPU 1.5 Ghz Quad Core Separate Graphic CPU
- Memory 1Gig RAM 32Gig for user
- Features
- A-GPS Gyro sensor Proximity sensor Digital compass Ambient light sensor FM Radio with RDS Ring tones: MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others AndroidApp store Beats Audio Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email Speaker Phone/Hands free
- Battery Li-Po 1,800 mAh battery Up to xxx hours Standby Up to xx hours Talk Time
- Price history Under $650 AUD late 2012 (Outright)
September 22, 2012
HTC ChaCha Review
Welcome to the 2011 HTC ChaCha review page. The new HTC ChaCha is one of the few implementations of the Android OS in a Blackberry style mobile phone. For a first attempt the ChaCha succeeds at being something that could find a dedicated owner, specifically those whose lives evolve around Facebook. The convenience of a keypad, touch screen with widgets running updates with the live wallpapers will make them love the phone. The recommended retail price for the HTC ChaCha at release is $199 as a pre-paid package. The construction of the ChaCha is pretty good considering it's position as a reasonably priced mobile phone. The real metal parts and clean design including it's weight makes it feel good to hold, unlike the other all phones in the same price bracket... It is just like the HTC Wildfire S in terms of presentation and that it probably the best made and feeling phone in this class. The ChaCha's hardware is a mixture of high end and low end which makes it hard to categorize, except to say that it is focused at being a mobile connection to social networks, in particular Facebook. The 800Mhz CPU is good like wise the keypad, GPS, Radio, Wi-Fi and everything else you'd need in 2011. The only short falls worth mentioning is the basic spec camera and size of the screen which could have be a bigger, which there is plenty of space for. The only criticism that can be made of the ChaCha is aimed at the Android OS. It is clearly not designed for button pushers and the smaller screen, although works well enough thanks to the touch screen. It reminds use of the Nokia E6 except that the ChaCha is smoother in operation. Furthermore the ChaCha does work better than the Blackberry's. The various apps do not look right on the smaller screen either - which is expected but at least it will last a day or two more than the larger full touch screen phones before needing a full recharge. Overall the HTC ChaCha is a decent well priced mobile phone for those into Facebook. Specifications
- HTC ChaCha
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 850/2100 HSDPA 7.2 Mbits data speed (download)
- Design Touch screen
- L114.4 x W64.6 x D10.7 mm Weight 124 grams
- Display/s External 2.6 Inch TFT 480 x 320
- Camera 5MP LED Flash
- Video Camera Front and rear
- Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V3.0
- CPU 800Mhz
- Memory Up to 512MB available to user MicroSD up to 32Gig
- Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
- Features A-GPS Proximity Compass Accelerometer (G-Sensor) Light Sensor FM Radio Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email FM radio Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 1250mAh battery Up to 640 hours Standby Up to 450 minutes Talk Time
- Price history Under $199 AUS 2010 (Pre-paid)
November 1, 2011
HTC Wildfire S Review
Welcome to the 2011 HTC Wildfire S review page. The new HTC Wildfire S released in mid-2011 is the update to the original and one of the cheapest Android based mobile phones you can get in 2011. However in our opinion the Wildfire S even better and one of the best of the cheaper Android OS based touch screen phones. All the criticisms of the original version have been addressed and we think this will be the benchmark at the low to mid range market for smart phones on the market. Unfortunately you can't get a Wildfire S on Telstra pre-paid just yet (July 2011). However we guess that it will once they run out of the older Wildfire. The Wildfire S is priced around $350 outright, it is currently $390 from Telstra. Update November 2011 The Wildfire S is now available as a $199 pre-paid package.

The 2011 Wildfire S uses the Android 2.3 operating system and is feature packed in terms of hardware and software capability for a relative cheap mobile phone. It comes with A-GPS, Wi-Fi, and all the usual environmental sensors. In terms of operation the Wildfire S works with minimal delay and noticeably smoother than the older model. It also includes a App which allows the phone to be used as a Wi-Fi router/modem by other devices like tablets. Honestly, its not that far of 800Mhz CPU eqquiped models.

The Wildfire S construction brings it up to date with the top range HTC Sensation along with the capacitive touch screen and the faster CPU. The screen resolution has also been increased and now looks very good.

The short time we had to test the Wildfire S we all agreed that it is a mini version of the current top end HTC Sensation. Based on the expected lower outright price for the Wildfire S we can't think of another phone in this price range that is as good - for the time being.

The only criticism that can be made is aimed at the Android OS being a tad difficult to initially work out and of course the need to sign up with Gmail to use even the most basic functions like the calendar. Along with that the Wildfire is an internet centric phone that requires a data plan with the phone. Signing up for anything is optional on Nokia and iPhone.

Overall the Wildfire S is a probably the best phone and must buy (and the new benchmark compact Android mobile phone) if your after a small and well made phone that can do almost everything you want. However the price must be right whether purchased outright, on a plan or as a pre-paid package.

Specifications
- HTC Wildfire S
- Network
  Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900
  Dual-band 3G 850/2100
  HSDPA 7.2 Mbits data speed (download)
  384kpbs data speed (upload)
- Design
  Touch screen
- L101.3 x W59.4 x D12.4 mm
  Weight 105 grams
- Display/s
  External 3.2 Inch TFT 320 x 480
- Camera
  5MP
  LED Flash
- Video Camera
  800 x 480 video camera 15FPS
- Connectivity
  Wi-Fi
  Bluetooth V2.1
- CPU
  600Mhz
- Memory
  Up to 512MB available to user
  MicroSD up to 32Gig
- Ring tones
  MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
- Features
  A-GPS
  Proximity
  Compass
  Accelerometer (G-Sensor)
  Light Sensor
  FM Radio
  Music and Media player
  Organiser/Calender
  SMS, MMS, IM, Email
  FM radio
  Speaker Phone/Hands free
  Li-Po 1230mAh battery
  Up to 570 hours Standby
  Up to 430 minutes Talk Time
- Price history
  Under $199 AUS November 2011 (Pre-paid)
  Under $350 AUS 2011 (Approx outright)
July 31, 2011
HTC 7 Mozart Review
Welcome to the 2010 HTC 7 Mozart review. The HTC 7 Mozart was released in late October 2010. Initially it will only be available for the Australian Telstra network but presumably for others over time. The HTC 7 Mozart is one of the first Windows Phone 7 OS based mobiles to be released to world. Since the phone is still new (at the time of writing) here are our first impressions. Approximate pricing we saw was around the $850 outright. The new Windows Phone 7 OS is very impressive. From startup of the phone we where impressed with the speed and graphical presentation. All the basic tasks on the phone are grouped into large finger friendly squares on the main screen that when activated reveal it full functionality. You can navigate the screens by scrolling up or down and as responsive as any other mobile running a 1Ghz CPU ! Applications run almost instantly and their settings easy to access. Forget the ancient Windows Mobile OS the new version is so much better. Build quality of the HTC 7 Mozart is also very good It is a solid phone that is mostly made of aluminum and glass which feels great to hold and use. The Mozart name means that it supposedly sounds good and it does to a certain extent. Sounds quality in hindsight does not approach the quality and volume of the 6233 our favorite and old benchmark. The new HTC 7 Mozart has all that you need in one device for email, calls, SMS, IM, Facebook, Twitter, Skype and more. The only thing missing is the ability run FLASH which means no videos or ability to run any FLASH based Facebook games. Overall the the HTC 7 Mozart thanks to the latest OS excellent. It is more graphically more impressive than all the other Android OS based phones and the iPhone. The changes are centered around making the various communication options easy to access and it works. The only thing that is currently a question mark for us is how stable the new system will be in the long run. We like it and can recommend the HTC 7 Mozart as an alternative to any Android phone from 2010 and the iPhone. Specifications
- HTC 7 Mozart
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Tri-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 (Dependent on country) HSDPA 7.2 Mbps data speed (download) HSUPA 2 Mbps (upload)
- Design Touch screen
- L119 x W60.2 x D11.9 mm Weight 120 grams
- Display/s 3.7 inch External TFT 480 x 800
- Camera 8MP
- Video Camera 720 HD pixel main video camera
- Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2.1
- CPU 1Ghz
- Memory Up to 8 Gig on board
- Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
- Features A-GPS Compass Accelerometer Andriod Store for Apps Proximity Ambient Light Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email JAVA MIDP 2.0 FM radio with RDS Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 1300mAh battery Up to 435 hours Standby Up to 205 mins Talk Time
- Price history Approx $850 AUS 2010 (Outright)
October 31, 2010
HTC Wildfire Review
Welcome to the 2010 HTC Wildfire review page. Released in mid 2010 the HTC Wildfire is one of the cheapest Android based mobile phones you can get. The Wildfire is the first smartphone and Android based pre-paid package you can get. (pay-as-you-go for our international readers). It seems like a great deal so we decided to give it a go. The Wildfire uses the latest Android 2.1 operating system hence has all the functionality that you'd expect in a high end phone. They have just cut back on the specification of the hardware to achieve the lower price. So you get a slower CPU and smaller screen for the most obvious cutbacks. The Wildfire is presumably a replacement for the older HTC Tattoo. We where impressed at the relatively speedy interface and that everything worked as per the HTC models with the faster CPU and screen. It is certainly as good or better than other smart phones in the this price category like those made by Nokia or LG as examples. However it is not completely smooth and occasionally has lags. It is no different to other competing models. We where not impressed at the very low resolution screen. The phone has all the features that make the Android operating system a leading competitor, with online widgets that display everything from emails to the daily joke and so forth. Construction wise the Wildfire beats most of the rest, it looks and feels good to hold in the hand. (It feels like real metal) Sure its not as nice as the more expensive models but then its cheaper. Like most smartphones these days it is difficult to determine how good a phone is without looking at what sort of apps it can run. In that regard you just have to search carefully and install only the best - to get the most out of the HTC Wildfire. Overall the HTC Wildfire is a very good phone for those wanting all the communication options at a cheap price. It is not perfect but acceptable. The Wildfire is just as good as our bargain priced favorite the Nokia E63 but in a different way. It also makes the E63 interface very old fashioned. In comparison to the cheapest LG Optimus series is slightly better since the screen and operation is looks better and just as smooth - the only problem is the older Android OS and it does not physically look as good. If you must know we prefer the Optimus - in the end due mainly to the screen and the Wildfire for access to the latest Apps and of course the design. Specifications
- HTC Wildfire
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 (Dependent on country) HSDPA 7.2 Mbits data speed (download) 384kpbs data speed (upload)
- Design Touch screen
- L106.75 x W60.4 x D12.19 mm Weight 118 grams
- Display/s External 3.2 Inch TFT 240 x 320
- Camera 5MP LED Flash
- Video Camera 800 x 480 video camera 15FPS
- Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2.1
- CPU 528Mhz
- Memory Up to 384MB available to user MicroSD up to 32Gig
- Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
- Features A-GPS Proximity Compass Accelerometer Light Sensor FM Radio Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email FM radio Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 1300mAh battery Up to 690 hours Standby Up to 490 minutes Talk Time
- Price history Under $349 AUS 2010 (Pre-paid)
September 20, 2010
HTC Desire Review
Welcome to the 2010 HTC Desire review page. The Desire is the first Android 2.1 based mobile phone to be released and is the one of the most fully featured. This is a top end phone which has functionality and usability that surpasses it primary competition notably the iPhone 4 but not the Samsung Galaxy S. First the good bits. The user interface is fast and stable, it is pretty to look at and customizable. The touch screen and apps work flawlessly and lag free. The screen is a bright AMOLED and the colors are vibrant. The Contacts and Organiser are fully featured and includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint and PDF readers/editors. You may have to purchase them if you want to edit documents - depends who your network provider is. The Web Browser is likewise really good for a mobile phone and Flash capable. Construction wise the phone is well built and looks good. In the hand the matte finish makes the phone look understated and easier to handle than other phones that use shiny plastic. It is also surprisingly small. Overall it does look and feel worth the money which is also surprisingly well priced. We like the extra buttons on the Desire since the single button on the iPhone can break and once that goes it become useless - literally. The optical track pad and touch screen work well together or separately. The bad bits where hard to find. If anything we can point out the average quality camera and video recorder. It is difficult to write about the HTC Desire because like the iPhone it can do everything you could want in a mobile phone in 2010. We guess that it is the Apps that will make or break the Desire and any other Android based mobile phone. Just remember to get a decent data plan with the phone. Overall the HTC Desire is a very good phone for those wanting all the communication options. It does voice, text, Skye, email, IM, Facebook, Twitter everything with ease. Perfect for those who want to stay in touch and can afford it (during the initial release phase). It works fast and easy enough to use and most of all the interface is customizable. Specifications
- HTC Desire
- Network Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Dual-band 3G 850/900/1900/2100 (Dependent on country) HSDPA 7.2 Mbits data speed (download) HSUPA 2 Mbits data speed (upload)
- Design Touch screen
- L119 x W60 x D11.9 mm Weight 135 grams
- Display/s External 3.7 Inch TFT 480 x 800
- Camera 5MP LED Flash
- Video Camera 800 x 480 video camera 15FPS
- Connectivity Wi-Fi Bluetooth V2.1
- CPU 1000Mhz Snapdragon
- Memory Up to 576MB available to user MicroSD up to 32Gig
- Ring tones MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
- Features A-GPS Proximity Compass Accelerometer FM Radio JAVA Apps Music and Media player Organiser/Calender SMS, MMS, IM, Email JAVA MIDP 2.0 FM radio with RDS Speaker Phone/Hands free Li-Po 1400mAh battery Up to 360 hours Standby Up to 400 minutes Talk Time
- Price history Under $759 AUS 2010 (Outright)
August 12, 2010